Quantifying L2 vocabulary learners' changes in metacognitive khowledge: a pilot study

Abstract

The study described in this paper is a pilot study for the second part of a largerresearch project into the possible changes in metacognitive knowledge (Flavell, 1979) ofa group of learners due to the content of a year long course on L2 (specificallyEnglish) vocabulary learning and teaching. The previous study (Hamatani, 2008; 2009)traced the changes in the metacognitive knowledge of the learners in the course byemploying an open-ended, retrospective, self-report questionnaire, which was semistructuredand written. This study statistically confirms the results of that first studywhich indicated the possibility that the course contents along with practical applicationof those contents contributed to the changes apparent in the learners'metacognitiveknowledge.